


The Trajectory of Social Interaction

by vanillafluffy



Category: The Martian (2015), The Martian - All Media Types, The Martian - Andy Weir
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Gen, Geniuses, Social Anxiety
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-23
Updated: 2016-09-23
Packaged: 2018-08-16 22:47:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8120518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vanillafluffy/pseuds/vanillafluffy
Summary: Rich Purnell is the unsung hero of Mark Watney's rescue, and he likes it like that.





	

"I got the weirdest email today," Rich Purnell says to his wife over dinner. 

"How weird was it?" Julie asks playfully. 

"Well, you know the Ares3 crew is back, and they're going through medical?"

The whole world knows that, but Julie Purnell just nods. "That's what I've heard."

"So today, I got an email from Mark Watney. He wants to meet me. I can't imagine why he'd want to meet me."

His wife smiles down at her Salisbury steak, though not because she likes it. Thursdays are always Salisbury steak night, because that's how Rich's mother did it. As long as it keeps him happy, she'll make it once a week. Sometimes she imagines what would happen if she made lasagna instead. Probably Rich would freak out. Julie knows her husband is a genius, but in many ways, he's really a precocious man-child. He's fussy, likes things done in certain ways, and requires adult supervision for things like regular meals and clean clothes. Things like social niceties baffle him, hence the current conversation. 

"He probably wants to thank you," she says, spearing some green beans. 

"I was just doing my job!" Rich protests. "Actually, I was trying to get out of doing my job. Calculating the Iris trajectories was giving me a headache."

"You did a really good job, hon. Mark Watney would be dead on Mars if it wasn't for you."

"He wants to meet me!" His tone suggests that this is a gross imposition. 

"To thank you for saving his life."

"But what will I say?!"

"Just smile and shake his hand, say, 'You're welcome', and maybe, 'I'm glad I could help'. Get your picture taken with him. No big deal."

Rich still looks anxious at the prospect, brows furrowed. Poor darling, this is the sort of thing that ties him in knots, but really, it's not rocket science. 

...


End file.
